Apr 02, 2021 · In the first chapter, Scout gives a detailed description of her family and the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout mentions that her father, Atticus, went to Montgomery to "read law." She says, "When ...
Apr 06, 2010 · In Chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus says that every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally and that this one is his.
To Kill a Mockingbird. First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. Here, Atticus articulates the central lesson he wants to convey to ...
In Chapter Five of Harper Lee 's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus gets Jem to admit to what he and the other kids have been doing (playing games about the Radleys), by using a "lawyer's trick."
Atticus Finch | |
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Gregory Peck as Finch in the 1962 film adaptation | |
First appearance | To Kill a Mockingbird |
Last appearance | Go Set a Watchman |
Created by | Harper Lee |
To Kill a Mockingbird. In Chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus says that every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally and that this one is his.
In Chapter 9 it becomes apparent that Atticus realizes he is bound to seek justice for all. Having been assigned to the Tom Robinson case, Atticus is ethically obligated to seek justice for Tom despite the condemnation of this man in "the secret courts of men's hearts" where racial bias lies.
The case of Tom Robinson affects Atticus in the sense that it tests his convictions and character. Right from the beginning Atticus knows that the case will be a difficult one. He knows that he will probably lose and that his family will suffer a certain amount of hardship on account of his defense of Tom Robinson.
It is because of his obligations as a lawyer that Atticus remarks to his brother Jack that he could not face his children if he refused Judge Taylor and did not take Tom's case. Clearly, all the ethical lessons he has given Jem and Scout would be contradicted by such an action.
He knows that he will probably lose and that his family will suffer a certain amount of hardship on account of his defense of Tom Robinson. Here is what he says in a conversation with Scout:
Start Free Trial. In Chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus says that every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally and that this one is his.
At the end of Chapter 20 as Atticus Finch makes his closing remarks at the trial of Tom Robinson, he reminds the jury of the significance of the judicial system in America: "In this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts, all men are created equal.".
Atticus recognizes that the time it took for the jury to reach a decision is a small victory, perhaps too small to even be considered a victory, but that it is still a kind of progress, and that it should be valued. Previous section Scout Next section Jem.
Here, Atticus articulates the central lesson he wants to convey to Scout, which is that empathy is the key to understanding others. Atticus presents lessons in empathy several times in relation to Scout’s schoolmates, her teacher, the mob outside the courthouse, and the jury. By the end of the novel, Scout has begun using empathy ...
He is trying to get Jem to consider the situation from Bob’s point of view, and understand the humiliation and rage Bob must feel as a result of the trial. While Atticus is empathetic to Bob’s experience, he underestimates the depth of Bob’s rage, which will affect his children more than it affects Atticus directly.
Here, Atticus is talking to Jem about how long the jury deliberated before returning with a verdict. Atticus sees a glimmer of hope in the fact that the jury did not immediately find Tom guilty, as they usually would in such a case.
Atticus directs this lesson to Jem because Jem is the one who is most embittered and defeated by Tom’s guilty verdict.
Here, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that an unbiased trial is realistically impossible. Overall, the book suggests that despite this inherent bias, each individual must strive to make their participation in the trial as free of prejudice as possible.
An ongoing theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is the complicated relationship between the abstract justice system and the individuals who participate ...
This is probably not true, but Jem says it to demonstrate his frustration with Atticus' involvement in the kids' efforts to discover Boo Radley.
Besides, what Jem says could be rather hurtful to Atticus. He tells Atticus that he doesn't think he wants to be a lawyer anymore. This is probably not true, but Jem says it to demonstrate his frustration with Atticus' involvement in the kids' efforts to discover Boo Radley. I think Jem believes that his dad doesn't understand their curiosity ...
Jem also respects Atticus, even if he is mad at him. So, he stops short of saying this to his father's face because he runs the risk of actually hurting his father's ...
putting his life's history on display for the edification of the neighborhood.". Atticus has taught Scout that a good lawyer never asks a question that he doesn't already know the answer to. Atticus knows what his children have been doing, and his questions force Jem to admit the truth.
Atticus grinned dryly. "You just told me," he said. Jem doesn't realize that Atticus has gotten him to confess that he has been playing a game about Boo until his father has left for work. When Jem does understand has has been duped, he shouts out that he's not sure he wants to be a lawyer.
Jem decided there was no point in quibbling, and was silent. When Atticus went inside the house to retrieve a file he had forgotten to take to work that morning, Jem finally realized that he had been done in by the oldest lawyer's trick on record.
When Atticus unexpectedly returns home one day to retrieve a file, he catches the kids playing a game that seems suspect. (Because Atticus is so intuitive, perhaps he had planned to "forget" this file, giving him a good excuse to check up on his children during the day.) The kids are right in the middle of playing their Boo Radley game, ...
Jem yells out " I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but I ain't so sure now!" because he is annoyed that Atticus has just used an old lawyer's ploy to trick him into admitting that he has been playing a game based on Boo Radley.
Jem is completely caught off guard by Atticus's sudden appearance, and when his father asks him what he is doing, Jem vaguely replies, "Nothin', sir.".